Your vehicle report
2003 Toyota 4RUNNER
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 528
- Received Apr 2006 to Oct 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Frame rusts and corrodes through273 complaints · 52% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Unintended acceleration despite braking26 complaints · 4.9% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Dashboard cracks near passenger airbag10 complaints · 1.9% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #11V113000Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 through 2011 lexus LX570, 2003 through 2009 toyota 4RUNNER, and 2006 through 2010 RAV4 vehicles. The accelerator pedal can get stuck in the wide open position due to its being trapped by an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat.
- Recall #03V146000On certain sport utility vehicles equipped with V6 engines, the fuel pulsation damper, located on the fuel rail, may have been improperly assembled, causing a diaphragm in the pulsation damper to be damaged. If the diaphragm fails, fuel may leak.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 17 crashes, 0 fires, 8 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
- Anti-lock brakes fail or lock up
- Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines
- Front brake rotors warp and wear early
1 more problem
Electrical & lights
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2006 | 4 |
| 2007 | 9 |
| 2008 | 6 |
| 2009 | 11 |
| 2010 | 35 |
| 2011 | 17 |
| 2012 | 14 |
| 2013 | 11 |
| 2014 | 17 |
| 2015 | 33 |
| 2016 | 44 |
| 2017 | 46 |
| 2018 | 72 |
| 2019 | 91 |
| 2020 | 41 |
| 2021 | 48 |
| 2022 | 15 |
| 2023 | 8 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 2 |
| Total | 528 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 273 | 52% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 26 | 4.9% | – | NHTSA recall #11V113000 |
| Dashboard cracks near passenger airbag | 10 | 1.9% | – | |
| Anti-lock brakes fail or lock up | 10 | 1.9% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 8 | 1.5% | – | |
| Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps | 7 | 1.3% | – | |
| Front brake rotors warp and wear early | 7 | 1.3% | – | |
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 6 | 1.1% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 5 | 0.9% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 5 | 0.9% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 5 | 0.9% | – | |
| Automatic emergency braking applies without reason | 5 | 0.9% | – | |
| Dashboard melts, becomes sticky and glares | 4 | 0.8% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 4 | 0.8% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 3 | 0.6% | – | |
| Alloy wheel rims crack and lose air | 3 | 0.6% | – | |
| Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly | 3 | 0.6% | – | |
| Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed | 3 | 0.6% | – | |
| Suspension struts and shocks wear out early | 3 | 0.6% | – | |
| Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed | 3 | 0.6% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #11V113000February 24, 20111,363,244 vehicles affected
vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 through 2011 Lexus LX570, 2003 through 2009 Toyota 4RUNNER, and 2006 through 2010 RAV4 vehicles. The accelerator pedal Can get stuck in the wide open position due to its being trapped by an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat.
A stuck open accelerator pedal may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop the vehicle, which could cause a crash, serious injury or death.
Remedy
The remedy is now available. The safety recall began early april 2011. The remedy will involve modification or replacement of the accelerator pedal and replacement of any Toyota all-weather floor mat. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331 or Lexus at 1-800-255-3987.
NHTSA recall #03V146000April 14, 200329,482 vehicles affected
fuel system, gasoline
On certain sport utility vehicles equipped with V6 engines, the fuel pulsation damper, located on the fuel rail, may have been improperly assembled, causing a diaphragm in the pulsation damper to be damaged. If the diaphragm fails, fuel may leak.
This could result in an engine compartment fire if a heat source or an ignition source is present.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the pulsation damper. Owner notification began may 5, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
NHTSA recall #02V339000December 17, 2002176 vehicles affected
wheels
On certain sport utility vehicles equipped with five factory alloy wheels (model 6934 and 6936), with factory llat, and with port installed WR4, four alloy wheel upgrade processed at the jacksonville, florida port and distributed by southeast Toyota distributors in the states of alabama, florida, georgia, north and south carolina, when the vehicles were processed at the port, an alloy tire/wheel upgrade was installed. The upgrade included 4 alloy wheels. The original spare tire/alloy wheel was not changed. The spare tire requires the use of a different style of wheel nut to attach it to the vehicle.
If the spare tire/wheel is installed on the vehicle using the wheel nuts provided for the upgrade alloy wheel, damage to the wheel could result and could eventually lead to a loose wheel.
Remedy
Owners will be provided with different style lug nuts, a warning label for the spare re/alloy wheel, and an owner's manual addendum.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2003 Toyota 4RUNNER.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN